Information directories are a common means for individuals and businesses to obtain information about people, products and services. For instance, a telephone service provider may publish a directory listing its subscribers in a particular geographic region. These so-called “white pages” generally provide an alphabetical listing of subscribers' names, telephone numbers and street addresses. Similarly, a telephone service provider may publish a directory of business subscribers in a particular region. These “yellow pages” generally list subscribers alphabetically within predetermined business categories. Furthermore, a “yellow pages” listing may be supplemented with an advertisement including information about the subscriber. For instance, a typical listing may include a variety of information such as graphics, logos, mottos, business hours, product descriptions, services, specialties, certifications, payment options, delivery information, appointment information, an Internet uniform resource locator (URL), e-mail addresses, business history, customer recommendations, maps and directions.
With the growth of the World Wide Web, some directory service providers now publish their directories online. For example, SUPERPAGES.COM published by Verizon provides an interactive, nationwide directory service enabling users to perform categorical and keyword searches of the information contained in a directory. Similar online directory services are known to enhance their directory listings with media content. For instance, France Telecom augments an online directory with photographs of subscriber's addresses, enabling customers to view a photograph of a location in addition to the subscriber's phone number and street address. The Internet search engine, A9.com offers a similar feature providing photographs in conjunction with directory listings.